Various pathological neuromuscular conditions, including some that are resistant to first-line forms of treatment such as pharmaceuticals or lifestyle modifications, may be successfully treated by implantable medical devices (e.g., neurostimulation devices) that apply electrical stimulation in part to motor or sensory neurons. Some illustrative areas for which neurostimulation devices may provide successful therapy are pain, urinary and fecal incontinence (e.g., an inability to control bladder and bowel function, respectively). Those problems affect people of all ages, genders, and races. Various muscles, nerves, organs, and conduits within the pelvic floor cooperate to collect, store and release bladder and bowel contents. A variety of disorders may compromise urinary tract and bowel performance, and contribute to incontinence. Many of the disorders may be associated with aging, injury, or illness.
Urinary incontinence, or degree of urgency associated with incontinence, may originate from disorders of portions of the peripheral or central nervous system which control the bladder micturition reflex. Nerve disorders may also lead to overactive bladder activities and/or may prevent proper triggering and operation of the bladder. Furthermore, urinary incontinence may also result from improper communication between the nervous system and the urethra.
Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) at the third sacral foramen (S3) is an FDA-approved therapy for urinary urge incontinence, urgency-frequency and fecal incontinence. The generally recommended pulse width value for SNM is 210 microseconds (μs).